Chapter 12: Flee
Two Years Later.
Izuku was wandering around the apartment, the windows filling the room with a slowly fading, golden light. It was the weekend now, which meant he was blue to take a break from school, but Papa was still at work. He was growing restless, where was he? He wasn't normally this late, and it was movie night.. He looked down at all the bracelets on his arm, and smiled softly, tugging on one of them. Each bracelet represented a promise the two made with each other, and there were quite a few bracelets on each arm. Each with a different purpose. Five on his left arm, five on his right.
He shook his head, sighing. He knew he was growing restless, and his fingers were itching for something to do. So, he went to the living room, grabbing the remote. Maybe some Quirk Analysis could be good for him?
Flicking through the television, his eyes grew heavy with the boring same old news that was on all the time. Finally, he stopped at 45.6 on the news channel, thinking it would be something new, especially considering he saw Mirko and Ryukyu on the screen. He flipped to a blank spot in his notebook, getting started on the analyzing.
What he heard coming through the television. Izuku didn't think he felt this much negative emotion in years.
.....
The room was silent, stifling. The only sound coming from the rolling of a dropped pencil, and the frantic, yet somehow smooth, voice of the reporter.
"Yes, and with the surprise villain attack at the now collapsing Musutafu mall, there have been fatal injuries with Number Six Pro Hero Hawks, who rescued most of the civilians alongside number fifteen Pro Hero Hero Ryukyu, who arrived later on the scene. It's reported that Hawks has suffered damage with two bullet wounds, one close to his heart proving potentially fatal. More reports say he has a low chance of making it, however, the paramedics that were on standby are doing everything they can to make sure that the fatality doesn't happen. The villain responsible has yet to be caught, however, he is being chased currently downtown by number five Pro Hero Mirko, who has also arrived on scene. More after this break."
Izuku froze. He wanted to cry- no. He did cry, and started playing with the feather necklace, tugging at his promise bracelets, pulling his hair. Sniffles came from his nose, tears flooding his eyes. Papa... He... He stared down at the deep red and gold promise bracelet. The one that promised he would always come back to Izuku.
Was this it? Was this morning the last time he would see Papa in person? Izuku broke down with a sob, collapsing onto the cold ground, colder now with the possibility of the home never having the warmth of his Papa again. It struck at him, his chest aching uselessly as he sobbed. It felt like he was being ripped in two, as if his body was splitting in half with grief. He covered his face with his hands, as if that would help anything.
The room was suffocating, trapping. He felt like a bird in a cage, with clipped wings. His vision blackened, blurring with the tears that rolled down his face. He could hear ringing, and half hoped it was the ringing of the doorbell, Papa just on the other side of it. When he looked up, hope filling in him, he was quick to realize it was the ringing of his ears that tricked him.
He didn't think it was possible to cry harder, yet he was being proven wrong by the growing second.
It took about fifteen minutes to stop crying, and he had a startling revelation with a cold chill, as he stared at the violet promise bracelet snug on his wrist. The meaning of a promise.
'They're coming.' Izuku realized with another cold chill go through his entire body. Hawks had been warning him about it since he got adopted by him. Izuku felt some of the despair he felt turn into fear, going from his wing tips to his core. The HPSC had seen his files during the adoption process, and was quite interested in his Quirk.
He didn't want to be a slave to the HPSC. He promised Papa he'd stay safe, stay alive. How was he going to keep it if they were going to come?
What was he going to do? He needed to escape, obviously. But where could he go? Tsu's? That idea was rejected as soon as it came in mind. Shaking his head, his mind clearing more, filling with logic rather than fantasy. No, he didn't dare put a target on her back, as well as the target already on his. Probably.
Izuku took a few deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out. He didn't have time to cry, Papa wasn't dead. He wouldn't die. He knew it. He flew to his room, starting on packing necessities in the yellow backpack Papa bought him for school. Clothes, a small blanket.. Small first-aid kit, a toothbrush? Yeah, dry toothbrushes were just as effective. Toothpaste, for the toothbrush. He stuffed it in as neatly and tight fitting as he could, before running to the kitchen, and packed some waters, protein bars... He stopped. Tears flooded his eyes. He couldn't stop think about Papa.
His dad was injured, and Izuku wouldn't be able to visit him. He couldn't, not if he wanted to have his dad wake up with him safe. Well, safe in the terms of "Not currently being captured and forced to brutally train like Hawks by the HPSC."
But what if Papa did die? Then Izuku would be alone— No, he had Mirko and Dabi. But he would still be alone without Hawks.
He took a deep breath. He needed to focus, and stop letting his anxiety get the best of him. Looking down at his necklace, he smiled softly, a small change in his emotions helpful in this situation. He had gotten a bit more comfortable with smiling, though not as much as he'd like in two years. Therapy can only help someone oh so much, and it helped Izuku, if not just a little bit with his.. What did the therapist call it? Viseosubrideophobia? He couldn't remember.
Smiling still freaked him out, and he couldn't look strangers in the eyes when they did smile, but he could smile a small bit, and could handle people he loved to smile. So, just Tsu, maybe Dabi, and Papa. Oh. Aunt Mirko as well.
He froze, when he heard the front door knob shake rapidly. It was still locked, but presumably, not for long.
'They're.. Here already?' Izuku froze with fear, before running to his room as quick as he could. The front door burst opened, and he could hear voices. Unfamiliar voices. A fresh spike of emotion strikes Izuku's heart, and he stilled for a second. The people worked fast in searching the rooms.
Hearing them in the living room brought him back into motion. He was running out of time.
He put his bag on his arm, and... He took one last look around his room. It would be a while until he could come back. Until Papa was healed. Because Papa always came back for him. He was someone Izuku could trust to come back. Trust to love. His eyes fell on the Hawks action figure he loved oh so much. It reminded him of Papa, and was a comfort for when he was on patrol when Izuku came back from school. He couldn't leave it. Couldn't leave papa. He couldn't.
So, Izuku wasted precious seconds to escape, to open his bag, and carefully put his action figure in the bag. Another action figure got knocked over when he reached with his arm, clattering on the ground. Most would call that a mistake, as that alerted the people in the living room his location, but it was.. Fine. Right? It was still a mistake, though.
Izuku felt his heart pound in his chest, could hear the blood flow in his ears, as he ran to open the window. His door opened, and revealed two men in black suits. Obviously HPSC. He chirped frantically, his fingers shaking as he tried with desperation to unlock it, and was failing horribly to unlatch the window.
Izuku had been confused for the longest time, so confused as to why Hawks seemed to really not like talking about the HPSC, or hero laws, or what training it took to be a hero. And when he finally told Izuku why, it was when he got injured on the field, and couldn't risk it. Izuku wanted to destroy everyone that hurt his dad. He had been nine and a half, so. That couldn't work at all. For some very obvious reasons.
He lost focus for a moment, and that's all it took for one of the men to keep him still. Still as in he literally could not move. 'What..? Is this... A Quirk?' He was immobile. Paralyzed. Though it only seemed to last a few moments, when the second man grabbed him, keeping him in place.
'No, no no no no no NO NO!' Izuku wanted to cry again, but could not. He was caught, and he didn't even make it out the window. He failed, and he would truly never see Papa again. Would never be able to snuggle with him on stormy nights, as he read him bed time stories half asleep. Would never be able to train with Papa again. Never be able to spend nights eating chicken and watch the rain fall during rainy season, all because he had to grab the action figure.
Maybe a tear did escape, as he no longer felt paralyzed. So the Quirk only lasted what- Fifteen Seconds? Good to know. He started flapping his wings, causing the temperature in the room to drop. Fast. The man grunted, but kept a tight grip on him as Izuku flailed about. Nothing was working- Oh Kami.. He... Can't get free.. He lost..
"LET ME GO- LET ME GO! GO AWAY!" Izuku started shouting. Both men just ignored him, grunting again. Izuku would have thought they were nonverbal had he not heard them speaking swiftly to each other just a few minutes prior. The one who paralyzed him slapped a hand over his mouth. When he let go, due to being bit harshly, Izuku moved his mouth to numb the stinging pain he felt.
It had to be pure luck, right? Because just as they made it to the elevator, it opened up, and revealed Dabi. He was panting, and his clothes were ruffled as his hair was wind blown. He seemed to freeze at the sight of Izuku with the two suited men.
"Dabi! Help me, please!" Izuku cried, growing more tired from struggling by the second. That seemed to do the trick, as Dabi unfroze from his shocked state, anger on his face. He moved to attack, punching the one who paralyzed Izuku. The other man seemed to debate on letting go of Izuku and helping his colleague, or escaping with him to take him to the HPSC.
He didn't get a chance to decide, as Dabi knocked the paralyzer man out, and started attacking him. The man's grip loosened, and Izuku finally, finally managed to wriggle free. Izuku turned, watching as Dabi got punched in the face, right in the cheekbone, a staple falling out with a splatter of blood on the ground. Izuku's eyes widened, and he realized that man was too strong for Izuku to fight even if he wanted to.
Deciding to go back to his original plan, he flew back up the hallway, and straight into his room. He flew away from the scene just on the other side of the walls. He hoped Dabi would be okay, but he couldn't help him. Not right now. He wasn't even a teenager yet! There was no way he could help Dabi, though he had a feeling Dabi could hold his own, so that helped.
He had known Dabi for two years, and grew quite close to the scarred man. Sometimes, when Dabi was close to being off shift from work, and Papa and Izuku were the last orders, he'd stick around and watch a movie with the two birds. Those nights were always extremely cozy, because of Dabi's Quirk making him warm. He often wondered if he should heal Dabi of his scars, and if the man would appreciate it. There were days he had ripped a feather out, very, very nearly giving the golden feather to Dabi, only to decide against it at the very last minute.
Izuku grabbed his backpack once more, and quickly stuffed the contents that spilled from him dropping it, back into it, though messier that time due to not having any time whatsoever. He hoisted it up on his arm, though not on his shoulder, because that would make it way too hard to fly. He wouldn't even be able to summon his wings if that happened.
Izuku froze when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. It was familiar though, he's felt it time and time again. Hesitantly, he turned back to see Dabi. His face was bloody, an eye nearly closed with a bent nose, bruises dotting along his forehead, to his cheek, even to his chin. Despite all of that though, it was thankfully nothing too unmanageable. It would heal and be fine.
"Izuku, why don't you come with me? I could keep you safe. Do you trust me?" Dabi asked, worry filling his eyes. Izuku thought about it for a minute. That would be nice, he'd be with someone he trusted. It would be okay after that. . . Despite that, Izuku shook his head.
"I can't do that to you, Dabi-San. I can't be a burden to you. It's me they are after, and by associating myself with you, you'd also have a target on your back. I need to run," Izuku said in a rushed manner, already backing up, opening the window. He didn't see the look of hurt on Dabi's face.
"Kid, what would Hawks do if he came home and you were missing? Do you want to worry him?" Dabi's words got through to him. Izuku really did not want to worry Papa. Hesitating with those words, Izuku stopped, turning to face him. His body was already halfway out of the window, so it was relatively hard to see him.
Izuku scowled, before showing Dabi his gold chained feather necklace to the best of his ability. Dabi's eyes flashed with recognition, so he clearly had seen the necklace. "When Papa is healed and able to fly, he'll find me. I won't be able to go him," Izuku insisted. "Goodbye, for now, Dabi. Thank you for saving me back there."
He leapt out the window, ignoring Dabi's call to wait. He actually heard his voice as the wind whipped around him, he didn't think he heard it like he had thought he heard someone's voice years ago.
Izuku was in the air now, and he was, understandably, a nervous wreck, which messed his flight up even more. This was technically his first time flying, if one did not count when he... Never mind. It was his first time flying without Hawks, and Izuku was worried he'd forget the basic rules to flight.. Though, it seemed to come to Izuku instinctually. He let his instincts guide him, fearing if he tried taking full control of his wings right now, he would fall right out of the air and turn into a splat on the ground.
He wanted so desperately to crawl back into bed, and pretend everything was alright. That Papa would come home, and the two would have their weekly movie night, as they always did... He selectively ignored the fears of Hawks not waking up from his wound, and Izuku would lose his parent. Would lose the one thing that gave him hope since he was able to understand what heroes were, All Might excluded heavily from that.
He kept low to the roofs of the unfamiliar buildings, fighting his instincts to go glide high in the air, because he would be caught way too quickly that way. One look up in the sky, and anyone would see him that way. Plus, using his Quirk in public was illegal, so if it wasn't HPSC that caught him, it would be the police.
He felt a pang in his heart as he realized he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Tsuyu... Or, could he? Should he? He should. He wouldn't be long.
He made a sharp turn left, and flew to Tsu's house. She of all people deserved a goodbye, and to know a bit more of what was going on. His hand brushed lightly at the hair clip. The hair clip that was still in his hair.
He rarely took the accessory off, and even made Tsu a hair clip, too! Hers was a white that faded to a golden colour, with black wings separated by a green frog. His hair clip on the other hand, was a light green to dark green gradient with white wings separating a golden frog.
Tsuyu was his best friend, much more than what he realized anyone from his old school had been. She never betrayed him, for something as silly as Quirks like his old classmates, whom he couldn't even truly remember the face of anymore, had done to him after he was proclaimed Quirkless by Inko.
He finally made it to her house, landing quickly and scraping his feet on the concrete as he ran and practically banged on her door. Tsuyu opened it, with a quizzical look on her face. Her hair was tied back in a bun, her green hair shaped as a bow, and she was wearing a simple white t-shirt with striped pink and white paints.
"Izuku-Chan? What are you doing here? Kero," Tsuyu asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Tsuyu, I.. Don't have much time. Papa got hurt, and now I'm being... Chased. But I couldn't just abandon you, so I came to say goodbye," Izuku explained rather quicky, as he was sort of out of breath.
He looked up at Tsuyu, and saw sadness take hold of her face. "You're.. What? Being chased? By who? And what happened?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku shook his head. This was taking too long, the HPSC could've been on his tail the whole time, and could be coming here now.
Walking forward, Izuku wrapped his arms and wings around Tsuyu, giving her a hug. "I can't explain, but I had to come see you. Goodbye, for now, Tsu-Chan. I'll miss you," Izuku said, tears forming in his eyes. He hated how vague he was being, he shouldn't be this vague, but the less she knew, the better.
"Izuku-Chan, why—" Izuku broke from the hug, and flew off. He turned once last time and gave Tsu a wave. Tsu waved back, still stunned and trying her best to process and retain the little information he gave her. It wasn't much to go off of, other than a goodbye.
Saying goodbye was hard, even if it was just for a little bit.
It was for a little bit, right? . . . Izuku hoped so. He really hoped so.
He realized he's been hoping for a lot of things today.
Izuku didn't know how long he was flying for, but eventually, the sun started setting low on the skyline, and he knew that he had to find somewhere to sleep for the night. He thought these buildings were starting to look familiar, though he couldn't put his feathers on it. Where has he seen these buildings before?
He landed on one of the streets, grateful that the people around were less since everyone wanted to be in the safety of their homes before dark, when it got dangerous. It was a behavior he noticed when living with Inko, because of 'villains'. Though, criminals seemed more apt a description to Izuku. Were they really villains if all they were doing was criminal stuff before the age of Quirks?
He felt the term 'villains' was spread loose, and anyone could be labelled that now a days if even a loss of control with their quirk resulting in bruising someone, was the result of a 'villain' doing. Papa had agreed with him when they talked about it during one of their movie nights, one time.
He pulled out the hoodie from his backpack, and put it on. It was going to be a bit chilly tonight, and he needed to start conserving body heat right now. Sure, he felt nothing when it was cold or hot because of the special aspects of his Quirk, but he also didn't want his body to freeze in his sleep because he couldn't tell it was cold.
He froze, something in his head clicking as he looked around, backing into a dirty alleyway, hitting a glass bottle with a foot. He recognized this place. He was very familiar with this place, in fact. After all, he lived here for years before Papa saved and adopted him.
Did he really fly all the way to Musutafu? And in the area of where he used to live, for that matter? What awful luck did he have today?
Izuku sighed, and stared at the alleyway he was in. It could make do for tonight, a dumpster on the left, a closed off wall so there was only one entrance and exit, to which he took to enter in the alleyway, a dead mouse for company. Or a snack. Having a bird Quirk had its literal quirks, after all. Overall not too bad for a makeshift sleeping area for the night.
He set his stuff down, using his backpack as a pillow. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, but it would have to make do. He wrapped himself up with his blanket, and finally let the pent up emotions he's had all day out.
He couldn't believe it, Papa was hurt, and dying. Papa could die. And then what? What could Izuku do? He would never be able to hide from the HPSC forever..
And then he just said 'bye' to Tsuyu, with no explanation. He knew he hurt her feelings. He hurt his own feelings, too, when he said that.
And Dabi... It was too risky to go with him, though he felt he hurt Dabi, too. He did trust Dabi, he grew fond of him over the last two years, and Papa seemed to really like him, growing all red-faced for some reason every single time Izuku started talking about him. He didn't know why Papa acted like that, and he hoped he didn't grow sick every time that happened.
Izuku was starting to doze off, his tears drying on his face, when he heard the clatter of a glass bottle.
Immediately, he shot straight up, and stared at the entrance of the alleyway.
He saw a man, who seemed to have an extremely bulky neck, but the rest of his body was really lean, and didn't look all too muscley. His hair seemed wild, going every direction, even up, like it was defying gravity.
The man seemed to be looking straight at Izuku. It was too dark to see too many details of the man, though he was sure Izuku saw his hair fall down onto his bulky neck.
Then, Izuku heard the man's voice. It was gruff, deep. Nothing like Papa's, though Izuku thought it to have a gentle undertone lurking beneath it.
"What are you doing here, kid?"
Chapter 13: Safety?
"What are you doing here, kid?"
Izuku was shaking. Was he caught already? How did they get here so fast? A speed Quirk? Teleportation? It spiked Izuku's brain with fear. He would have to constantly move, as to not get caught.. Was the person getting closer?
Izuku shoved himself closer to the corner of the alley. Poor move, on his part. But he wasn't able to think rationally, what with being exhausted with flying all day with little stop, and all the crying he just did.
The man with the bulky neck stopped, and squat down. He pulled something out of his pocket, which made Izuku grab his backpack in self defense, prepared to throw the backpack. He scolded himself for not grabbing an actual weapon. He longed for his swords, he's been training with them for about a year, and had gotten pretty good with them. He felt comfortable with them. Like it was natural. Which it was, at this point.
Even a kitchen knife would be good.
The man finished grabbing the item out of his pouch and... Oh. It was a... Flashlight? Is that a part of his quirk? Some sort of light manipulation? He heard the click from the button of the flashlight, and it turned on. He squinted, losing focus of him. Dang it, even if it wasn't a part of the man's Quirk, his eyes would have a hard time adjusting to the dim lighting once the flashlight was off... That was pretty.. Smart. He'd have to take note of that for future reference.
Oh.
The man wasn't doing anything, just standing there.. Looking at him. Shoot. Izuku wanted to cover his face with his backpack, but then he'd be unable to see the man's actions. Flashlights were really useful. He'd really need to remember this for future reference. If he had a future where he could use this as reference.
"Kid, I asked you a question. I'm not going to kill you, or hurt you. You can trust that much." So the man.. He never mentioned anything about not taking him away, which didn't help. Izuku tensed, ready to leap into the skies. The man seemed to notice, and froze. When did he start moving again?
"Kid, are you o-" He was cut off by the sound of a car, it was a black car with tinted windows. Two men in suits came out.. They found him? How?
The man with the bulky neck stood up, and turned to the men. "Who are you?" The man with the bulky neck- Izuku really needed a better name for him- Asked. The two men in black ignored him, and pushed past him. Straight towards him. Izuku felt his wings come to this reality as he flapped around frantically, his eyes widening in fear.
It seemed like Izuku couldn't move, like he was trapped.. He looked down at the ground, and.. Oh... He was tangled up in... Scarf? He realized his wings were no longer in this reality. And, the two men were knocked out? Did he get tangled up by a clothing line? No, the scarf is leading to the man with the bulky neck.. Though, his neck wasn't bulky anymore. 'Oh, did I mistaken a scarf for a bulky neck? That's funny..'
Izuku landed on the ground, and noticed the flashlight that had dropped on the ground, was shining on the man with the scarf. This scarf seemed familiar to Izuku, somehow.
He had medium length, unruly black hair. His clothing was black and baggy, with a belt that had pouches lining the whole thing. He had a really, really long scarf. One Izuku was still wrapped up in. He also had really bright yellow goggles. Interesting. Izuku swore he could've seen this man before, but.. Where? He seemed so familiar.
"Kid. Are you okay? They seemed to be after you." He asked. Even his voice seemed so familiar. Izuku couldn't speak. He wouldn't until he figured out the mystery of who this man was.
Wait. Did this man take these guys out? Izuku wanted to mentally slap himself. He obviously had to have taken these guys out. But then, didn't that mean this man wasn't with them? He had to ask. But he wouldn't speak to this man until he knew who he was. The man seemed to realize this, based off the loud sigh.
"I'm Pro Hero Eraserhead." Wait. Eraserhead. Izuku gasped.
"That's why you seemed so familiar to me. You saved me from a local gang five years ago!" Izuku whisper-shouted. Eraserhead looked emotionless, though Izuku hoped he was trying to remember what happened five years ago.
"Oh yeah, you were that-" Izuku cut him off. "I never got to thank you, so now I can thank you for saving me! Twice.." The man scowled slightly, 'So he doesn't like being cut off...' Izuku cringed mentally.
"What are you doing here, kid?" Eraserhead asked again. Izuku should really answer that. But could he trust him? Maybe he could say some of what happened? 'That could determine on if Eraserhead is trustworthy or not.'
Izuku sighed, closing his eyes. Maybe he should channel some of his Inner-Dabi. "Well, Eraserhead, what's it look like to you? Because to me, it looks like I'm on the run." Okayyyy... So maybe he should dial down on the sass. He winced. Was he abusive like Inko? He should've really determined that before being a sass. Darn it, Dabi. You influence too much.
Eraserhead sighed. Again. "Listen, kid. Why are you on the run? Do you need help?" That made Izuku's thoughts backtrack and freeze. What.
"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?" Izuku asked politely. That made Eraserhead sigh again. How many times is this man going to sigh?
"Why are you running? Do you need help?" He started sounding impatient. Or was Izuku's ears playing tricks and trying to find undertones where he couldn't? Because the hero's voice was literally monotone.
"Well... You see, Eraserhead, uh, sir." Izuku was starting to feel extremely tired now. Struggling with the scarf, and flying all day is really taking a toll on his body.
"I am running, because these guys are power-hungry jerks. Or is it quirk-hungry?" Izuku said, while nodding to the unconscious men. "And I'll let you be the judge on if I need help or not." Izuku released a trickle of his inner-Dabi. He turned it on full force last time, and he didn't want to lose potential help. If Eraserhead could help. Maybe.
Izuku yawned, closing his eyes sleepily.
"Well, to me, it does look like you need help. You also look exhausted. Why are you on the run?" Eraserhead asked again. That made Izuku open his eyes again.
"Because they're quirk-hungry jerks who took advantage of the fact my dad's injured." Izuku said, waking up a bit more now. No time to fall asleep. not right now. Eraserhead may have saved Izuku twice now, but he still has not proven he wouldn't hurt Izuku. Plus, he was still tied up in the scarf. Not exactly comfortable enough to fall asleep on.
"Your dad's hurt? Where is he? Does he need help?" Izuku wanted to tear up at that.
"Those are questions I can't answer, Eraserhead." Maybe he did have a few tears fall, because he felt the scarf loosen.
"... Are you okay kid?"
Was he? His papa was hurt. He couldn't waltz in the hospital and heal him. Not without exposing his quirk. He couldn't even visit, without being caught. He had no way of finding out if dad was okay. He choked back a sob, violently shaking his head no.
He felt a hand pat his head. Like Papa. Was Papa here? He came back? He's here?
"Papa?" Izuku looked up, and the hope he felt in his heart died. It was just Eraserhead.
"You're not papa.." His voice cracked. More tears fell. Where was Papa? Why isn't he here?
"You're not okay, are you. Kid?" Izuku felt a sob make it out of his throat. He couldn't help it. He couldn't even hear it. Hear what? Eraserhead's voice, or his own?
"It's all falling apart..." Izuku felt the bottle of pent up emotions crack, and spill over.
"What's falling apart, kid?" Everything. Everything yet nothing. HIS PAPA WAS GONE.
"Everything. Everything is, Eraserhead. I can't go to Papa.."
He felt himself get pulled into a.. Hug? Was Papa here? Did he come back? Izuku opened his eyes. Oh. Just Eraserhead. "You're not Papa... Where is Papa?"
"I don't know who your Papa is, kid. What's your name?" His... Name? It was Izuku, right? He felt a hand brush his hair. Papa was here! He came back!
"My name is Izuku. I thought you knew that, Papa?" Did Papa forget about him...?
"I'm not your Papa, kid.." That voice wasn't Papa. Izuku looked up. Oh. It was just Eraserhead. Again. Could he trust Eraserhead?
"Oh.." Izuku felt the hope in his chest die off again.
The hand let go of Izuku's head, and started making circles on his back. Papa! Izuku looked up again. Oh.. Not Papa. Where was Papa? Who was this man?
"Kid? Who is your papa?" The man asked again.
"Aren't you Papa?" Izuku closed his eyes. Maybe he was more tired than he realized. Papa didn't even seem to know who he was.
He didn't even realize he fell asleep.
Aizawa had always been soft with kids, he couldn't help it. He felt horrible for this kid. He was being chased, and didn't know where his papa was, from what he could gather.
The kid was also tired enough to mistaken him for his dad. Just how long was he on the run? He wasn't too dirty, if at all. So maybe a day or so, though he had to be running for a while if he fell asleep in his arms. Should he bring him to his home? It felt like the safest place, if he was being chased by men in black suits. Plus, his patrol had only an hour left. He could leave a little early, right? This did seem like an emergency... 'Zashi wouldn't mind.
He raveled up his scarf, and left with the kid in his arms. Just in time, too. He could see the men waking up. Speaking of, who were those men? And what was the talk of "Quirk-Hungry" Izuku was spouting? (If that was his name, and not a not some name his obviously sleep-deprived brain came up with.)
He opened his door, and just held him as he watched Hizashi turn around in the office chair right in front of him, with his fingertips connecting. It was a something Hizashi did every time he stayed up late working on his radio show. The smile on his face fell as he saw the kid in his arms.
"Sho, why do you have a kid? Better yet, where did you get the kid?" He asked, standing up and moving the chair out of the way.
"I found him in an alleyway-" "Like everything else you find." Aizawa shot him a glare. (Not that it meant anything to the blonde.)
"And when I used my flashlight, he seemed really freaked out and his face was pale. Then two men in black came and tried taking him. Didn't even acknowledge my presence." Aizawa spoke softly, laying Izuku down on the couch.
Hizashi frowned. "And you thought it was a good idea to bring him here?"
"Well.. His father seemed to be injured, and he was exhausted. Apparently been on the run from those guys. Kept mistaking me for his papa."
Hizashi gave him a large grin. "Ohhh, so you got soft and took him in like a stray cat?"
Shota scowled at him. "I'm not soft. Nor will I ever go soft." He stated just as a cat jumped on his scarf.
"Point proven, Sho. Though, are you sure this was a good idea? What about Hitoshi? What happens if those men in black take him away, too?" Hizashi asked, and Shota froze.
What would happen? "They won't. They won't find this child, and they won't take 'Toshi away. I'll make sure of it, don't you trust me?" Aizawa asked this time.
With that, Hizashi walked towards him, and gave him a quick kiss. "Of course I do, Shota. But I'm just worried for Hitoshi's safety, as well. This just seems like an irrational decision."
"I know.. I'm sorry." Shota said. This was actually extremely irrational. But this child needed help. Hizashi sighed, and grabbed onto Shota's hand. "Hon, I love you, and I trust your judgement. Just promise that Hitoshi and you will be safe while taking care of this kid."
"I promise, Hizashi." Hizashi in turn smiled, and before anything else happened, the two men heard a gasp, and they looked over to see the kid sitting up, his eyes wild.
"W-Where am I?" The kid asked, looking around frantically. Shota could see the tears forming. "Hi, kid." The boy's eyes locked onto Shota's. "E-Eraserhead...? And.. You l-look f-familiar.." the child said, staring at the blonde. He seemed to focus hard, but.. That didn't help the kid's panic, though.
"W-Wait.. A-Am I in.. Eraserhead's h-home?" The kid seemed to calm down, shockingly enough. "Listener, I don't think you should be calming down by being in a stranger's house." The kid shrugged, and looked around.
"Not the first time.." What. WHAT DID THAT MEAN?
"Kid, that's not a good thing." Aizawa said, concerned.
"But- that's how I got my papa. How is that not a good thing?" That was a concerning sentence, was his "Papa" a kidnapper? The two men shared a look. Do they need to save this kid from a kidnapper who brainwashed the kid into thinking he was a good man?
The kid yawned. "Kid, what's your name?" Aizawa asked. If the two could look find out who this "Papa" Was, they could determine if he was someone they could bring the kid back to.
"Izuku.." Okay, first name. And it really was Izuku. "And what's your last name, Little Listener?" Hizashi asked. The kid immediately looked up, with stars in his eyes.
"You're Present Mic! Aren't you?" He asked excitedly. Present Mic nodded. "That's right, little dude!" He gave a thumbs up and his iconic smile.
"Wow... Both Eraserhead and Present Mic!" The kid mumbled something, before his eyes turned sad. He stared at his arms, and when Shota looked, he saw bracelets covering his arms. Could those be brain washing devices? (That was the most irrational thought he's had in a while. But I'm a world of quirks, nothing is impossible.)
"What are those, Little Listener?" Present Mic asked, pointing at the bracelets Izuku was tugging at.
"Promise bracelets.. Papa gives me one every time we make a promise.." The kid looked like he was going to cry, as he took a red and gold Promise Bracelet off. So he could willingly take them off. Good to know.
"And what's that one, Izuku?" Shota asked, if those were all promise bracelets, then they had to serve a purpose. (Albeit, if there was something else behind the bracelets, the two men could take them and help Izuku if he was unknowingly being held captured by his "Father".)
"This one..? Oh..." The tears started coming from the boy.
He lifted up the bracelet so it could catch the dim light. "He promised me he would always come back.. Not die on his job.. I don't know if he'll be able to keep it this time..." He said, wiping his tears away as he lowered his bracelet. He slumped even lower than he had before.
"What's your father do to make a promise like that?" Izuku's eyes glossed over. "I don't know if I want to tell you that... I don't know if I can trust you..." Reasonable. Yet very frustrating. Shota sighed. His papa could be a villain for all he knew.
The kid yawned, and lowered into the couch, and fell asleep, wearing his promise bracelet again.
Hizashi and Shota looked at eachother again before walking into their room. The two changed, and got into bed.
"Shota, what are we going to do? What if the kid's dad is a villain?" Hizashi whispered, worry in his voice.
"I don't know... But the kid is obviously very attached to his dad. He wouldn't want to get away from him without a fight, even if he was a villain. It's also another problem that he never gave a last name, meaning we can't track down his dad."
Hizashi sighed, wrapping his arms around Shota's. "We can't jump to conclusions. He could be a hero, for all we know, as well."
Shota let out a small chuckle. "Maybe.. Seems unlikely, though. What hero has time to take care of a kid? Seems like a lot of work."
He felt a flick. "Us, dingus. Did you forget about Hitoshi?"
"Not at all, just testing you." Another flick. "Jerk.."
He smirked, and turned to give Hizashi a kiss on his lips. "Your jerk."
Hizashi hummed, falling asleep. "Sure... Whatever.. Meanie."
"Oh, by the way, did you hear the news today? Hawks got really injured, apparently." Hizashi asked, his words slurred.
"Really? Poor guy. Hope he gets better." Shota asked, not even thinking about anything anymore.
Another hum, and that was the last noise Shota heard before falling into sleep.
Chapter 14: Bombshell
Aizawa didn't expect to leave his room at 5:43 AM to find Izuku on the couch chirping lightly with Hitoshi petting his... Wings? Aizawa vaguely recalls something moving around Izuku as he got more tangled in his scarf last night, though he doesn't know how he missed the wings. It was like they were invisible to the naked eye, because he knows he would've seen the wings when he carried the boy along with his back pack. (He did feel something extremely cold, though...)
He yawned, and silently made his way to the kitchen from the hallway, which was all behind the couch. The kitchen was separated by a wall to the living room, so the two boys shouldn't have noticed Aizawa, Hitoshi normally didn't.
Which was why Shota was surprised when Izuku suddenly stopped, snapping his mouth shut as he turned to stare at him.
'That's surprising.. How did this kid know I was here?' Aizawa's footsteps were near silent, and if it weren't for the slightest creak of the floorboard that sounded every time he walked in and out of his room, he would have perfectly silent footsteps. 'Was that slight creak all it took for Izuku to know I was up? That's really impressive... Especially for a nine year old looking child.' Just what was this kid learning?
Hitoshi looking really impressed. "Dude, how did you know he was there? He always startles me.." Hitoshi said, his hands floating above.. Empty air?
Izuku just shrugged, and chirped lightly as he stared at his promise bracelets. His eyes got foggy as he answered.
"Papa taught me how to tune things out and sort through my thoughts, helps with situational awareness. And as a bird, your brain immediately thinks of yourself as prey alongside a predator. So tricks like that can help with the more instinctive, or, quirked, side screaming at you all the time to watch out for everything and anything." He said as he tugged at a black bracelet. Aizawa wondered if he should figure out what all the promise bracelets meant.
Probably should. Aizawa had a small realization that he also kidnapped this child, basically. And that maybe, just maybe, Izuku's papa was actually a good man who saved a child like he saved Hitoshi. He should figure out more about Izuku's father before jumping into conclusions so carelessly.
"That sounds really cool! What else does your papa teach you? Oh.. You don't have to answer if you don't want to.." Hitoshi asked, before back tracking as he saw the tears fall down Izuku's face. He awkwardly pat at Izuku's shoulder.
Izuku sniffed before aggressively rubbing his face against his hooded arm. "No, it's fine... Just hard.. He promised me he'd come back, and he's really hurt... And I couldn't even go to him, Hitoshi-San.." He gave a wobbly thumbs up, before more tears fell. "I miss him so much.." Hitoshi nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah.. I missed my dad before Eraserhead found me.. It hurts... Doesn't it?" Izuku nodded, as Hitoshi rubbed Izuku's back.
Aizawa walked over to Izuku and pat his head. Izuku really cared about him, then. If this man turned out to be a villain, then Shota would have an extremely hard time getting Izuku to understand that. If at all.
"It will only make it harder if he does die and I never spoke of his potential last living moments highly of him... But it hurts so.. So much.." Izuku spoke quietly, as if it hurt to even speak. Probably was. The kid was likely holding back a lot of emotions.
"I don't want him to die.. He can't.. I still need him.." Izuku whispered, falling near silent at the end.
"You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to, Little Listener. Hitoshi, Sho, what do you want for breakfast?" Hizashi was standing between the doorway of the kitchen and living room. 'Thank you, 'Zashi.'
Izuku nodded, and seemed to feel a bit brighter as he took his mind off of other things.
"Hitoshi, you need to get ready for school." Hitoshi yawned, and nodded.
"Oh! Will Izuku come to school with me?" Shota froze, he didn't think about that. If he was on the run then being registered into a school was a death sentence. Plus, he was probably in a different school, and transferring would be a nightmare, especially since Shota nor Hizashi was actually his legal guardian.
"No, he can't. Though he will still be here when you come back." 'Hopefully.' Whispered a small part of his brain. He shut that line of thought down as he started on a pot of coffee.
"Awww.. Why not?" Hitoshi asked. He mentally sighed. At least he was more comfortable with asking questions, despite his quirk. He knew he used to get bullied because of it, so he transferred him out of the school he was originally at.
"Because he's only staying here until his father comes back to pick him up." He twisted it a bit. Until he found out who his father was, he wouldn't be going back to him, it was too risky if his dad was a villain. He'd probably have to actually arrest his dad in front of Izuku if that was the case.
He looked up at the frantic chirping, concern filling his chest.
"I CAN'T STAY HERE! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! THEY'LL BE AFTER YOU TOO IF THEY FOUND ME! I CAN'T PUT ANYONE ELSE IN DANGER! I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'TICAN'TICAN'TICAN'TICAN'TICAN'TICAN'TICAN'T-" He was cut off by Hizashi rubbing his back soothingly, to help calm the bird down. The temperature of the room dropped dangerously fast. Shota couldn't have wished for a coffee faster. How did it get so cold so fast?
Breath was showing as Izuku finally calmed down. His tears frozen on his face. "I-..." Was all he said before the temperature quickly turned back to normal.
'Is this Izuku's quirk? I thought it was wings?'Seemed to be the collective thought the room shared as they stared at Izuku with either concern or worry.
"Izuku? Did you do that?" Mic's voice was shaky. Uncertain. Izuku looked at them all, his tears having long since melted. "I'm sorry... I don't know how that... That... Hasn't happened in years....."
What...? "Izuku, if that's your quirk, why hasn't that happened in years?" Hitoshi asked hesitantly.
"I didn't mean too.. I'm sorry... I didn't know that would happen." Izuku said, his eyes turning into slits. He looked at them all as if they were hostile, and his wings immediately appeared out of nowhere, fluffing up and making himself appear bigger as he crouched low, his teeth baring at them all.
That set Shota a bit off. Why did the kid think this was necessary?
"Izuku- hey, talk to me, are you okay? It's okay." Hitoshi asked. (Was he planning to use his quirk?) Was the thought Hizashi seemed to have, as it was showing on his face.
Izuku looked at Hitoshi, and he seemed to calm down. His eyes reverted back to normal, and his wings gradually faded away. (Shota wouldn't be lying if he said he didn't watch the wings in absolute fascination and wonder if he could erase his quirk. It didn't seem like a normal mutant quirk, at all.)
"I'm fine, Hitoshi-San.. I'm sorry, I don't- I..." His voice faded away, as he calmed down, he looked at a navy blue coloured bracelet.
"I'll be fine. Promise." Was all Izuku said before looking at a chair, and seemed to debate on sitting down. "You can sit down, kid." Shota said while pouring his (Now lukewarm, much to his annoyance. Though he wouldn't say anything right now. The kid was stressed enough.) Coffee.
The small kid nodded, and Shota heard... Clicking? He turned around, coffee mug in hand, and looked to see where the clicking sou- huh. 'Guess the kid does have some kind of mutant quirk after all.' He thought as he stared at the child's bird-like feet. Wasn't the most unusual thing he saw, though it made him wonder how the kid balanced while running. Definitely didn't seem to be an easy feat… No pun intended.
Hizashi finally got started on breakfast, and the smell of Tamagoyaki filled the air.
"I'll be able to have breakfast too, right....?" Izuku asked. That question nearly made Shota spill his coffee that was half way to his mouth, and Hizashi dropped his ladle. "Of course, Izuku! Don't you eat breakfast?"
"Uh- Now I do.. Sorry... Was that a weird question...? It didn't seem.... Weird.. When I asked Papa if I could eat breakfast for once.." Izuku said, curling his legs up into himself. He put himself in a cradle position on the chair, his face hidden behind his legs.
Did his papa abuse him? Not let him eat...? That was concerning. Shota looked at Hizashi, who gave him a shocked look. The two were both thinking it. Maybe it was irrational, yes. But if potentially his father didn't let him eat to the point he needed to finally ask, then that was something the two heroes couldn't possibly ignore. If the kid kept giving them slips of information on accident, then they might have to use their emergency foster card against his father.
The bowls finally got put down, and they all started eating. Izuku's eyes seemed to light up. "Wow! This is really good! Thank you again Present-Mic-Sama!" He said rather quickly, as if he couldn't wait to go back to his food. Probably couldn't, if he was flying? Running? All day yesterday.
"Ah, it's no problem, little guy! And no need to call me Present Mic. I'm not even in my Hero Costume! Call me Hizashi!" He said, giving a thumbs up, and a smile. Though the smile seemed to freak out the child, and he dropped his chopsticks into his bowl. He put his hands into his lap and gripped tightly as his eyes started tearing up.
"I'm sorry... " Was all he said before shakily picking his chopsticks up again. "It's alright.. But are you okay? Why did that happen?" Hizashi asked, concern on his face again.
"It's the smiling.. I'm sorry, it's not your smile.. It's all. Please.. You don't have to stop smiling for that." Izuku said, looking into his bowl as tears formed. This kid was really emotional. What was that like? Shota half wondered.
"Are you sure, little dude? I don't wanna freak you out." Hizashi stated.
"I have to get rid of this fear at one point or another.." A fear? Of smiling? How odd.. Did his father do something to make him afraid of a main comforter for children? Probably, if he didn't like smiling. 'What an irrational fear.. Poor kid.'
"Izuku..? Do you think.. If you're comfortable.. You can tell me what your dad taught you?" Shota wanted to tell Hitoshi off, though Izuku's eyes filled with basically stars, so he couldn't exactly do that without Izuku feeling upset again.
"Oh! I feel better.. And my mind is less foggy... It still hurts... But I can tell you a bit! I want to be a hero, so he's been training me." Izuku said, his bowl empty. He took a small sip of his water, before putting it back on the table as he looked at Hitoshi as he made conversation with him.
"Oh! You wanna be a hero too? Me too!" Hitoshi exclaimed, his own eyes filling with stars. "Really? Maybe we can train together one day! I think..." Izuku shook his head as the emotion on his face faltered.
"Anyways, he's been teaching me how to fight, and implement using my legs a lot more in fights. I have a quirk that makes me a bird of prey, so my talons are naturally really sharp." Izuku said, pointing at his feet, flexing his talons. "So he's been teaching you to fight? Dad's been teaching me, too! Though I think our fighting styles will be different." Hitoshi said, and Izuku nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I don't think your quirk is suitable for my style, since it's a mental type while mine isn't. Your quirk is still really neat, Hitoshi-San! We could still train... Maybe... If your dad will let us. Then we could get used to fighting with different quirks, a tiny bit."
Izuku looked up, turning red. "A-AH, sorry Hitoshi-San! I was getting a little bit distracted."
"Eh, it's alright dude. And yeah, if you wanna train, I'm down." Hitoshi said. Did Hitoshi tell Izuku his quirk? He normally didn't do that since he was still pretty uncomfortable with telling others his quirk. He gave Hitoshi a questioning glance. To which he looked immediately guilty and a bit... Embarrassed?
"I used my quirk on him... But what else was I supposed to do?? I got out of my room to find a random kid sleeping on the couch, and freaked out!" Hitoshi said defensively, to which Izuku nodded along.
"It was a bit freaky, but then he asked my name and quirk when I was still brainwashed then released me.. And that was interesting, though a little invasive, it was great for seeing if I was a random child who broke in the house or not." Izuku said, shaking a bit at it. He kept side glancing Hitoshi, as if he couldn't determine if he was trust worthy with... Something? Or not.
"Makes sense. Sorry about that... What else does your papa teach you?" Hitoshi asked again, albeit a bit more sheepishly.
"Well, he's teaching me a bit on how to escape being tied up, or generally, any trap a villain might set.. Said it would be useful just in case." Izuku said, tapping a finger on his chin as he looked up towards the ceiling in deep thought.
"Woah.. Dad! Do you think you can teach me that?" Shota didn't exactly know how to answer that.. If he could at all. That seemed excessive, and if the kid wanted to be a hero, then he would learn that at any hero school. (Unless he couldn't, because his father was a villain.. No irrational decisions, Shota.)
Shota eventually shrugged. "That's up to your papa." He's not making that kind of decision himself. "Shota, you're literally the one teaching Hitoshi. Those decisions are up to you." He glared at Hizashi, before turning back to Hitoshi. "I'll have to think about it." Hitoshi nodded, before turning back to Izuku.
"Hmm. What else, what else.. Oh! He's been teaching me sword fighting! I started last year, though he said I've made a ton of progress! He said by the time I'm thirteen, I'll have my own swords!"
If that didn't cause a reaction... Hizashi dropped his chopsticks, along with his jaw. Hitoshi started shaking his shoulders excitedly, asking a load of questions. Shota nearly dropped his mug. His favorite mug, might he add.
WHY WOULD HIS FATHER TEACH HIM HOW TO FIGHT SWORDS WHEN HE'S SO YOUNG?
"Kid, I don't think you should be learning sword fight so young?" Hizashi said, (More like questioned) Hesitantly.
"Well, yeah.. But he uses swords, so it's okay! And also he told me I had to be ten for safety precautions! I'm eleven. So I've been working with swords for a year now!" Izuku stated proudly.
"Well, yeah but.. That's still really irresponsible." Aizawa said.
"Well... He's still my dad. And I asked and he agreed! Plus, I was eight, so I waited for a year and a half before I could learn, plus my dad is a professionalwith swords! Specifically katanas! So I was perfectly safe!" Izuku started getting defensive.
"Alright.. Sorry." Shota said, sipping on his cold coffee. (Damn it.) His dad was a professional swordsman? Who was this guy?
It took a few more minutes, but then the three went to go get ready for school, and Izuku was left to writing in the living room.
"Kid... Are you sure you should stay here? It's not particularly safe.." Shota asked once more.
"I'm sure, Eraserhead-Sama! It wouldn't be safe for any of you if I were to be seen with you.. So... It's only logical. Besides! I'm responsible enough! Papa lets me stay home when it's the weekend, and he has to go to work! Though he makes sure that going to work on the weekends rarely happens... I promise, I'll stay safe!" Izuku stuck a pinky out, as if-... Was he wanting to make a pinky promise?
Shota hesitantly stuck his pinky out, and met with Izuku's pinky. Guess so. How… Odd?
"We'll be back soon. Don't do anything crazy." Hizashi said as he started the car.
Izuku nodded enthusiastically. "I won't!"
That wasn't enough to settle their nerves with leaving an eleven-year-old child who they barely knew in their own house unsupervised.. Though they would have to trust him.
Izuku waited for a bit, just lying on the couch. He felt so. Bored. And also extremely suffocated. He felt like he did when the events with Inko were happening.. He sighed, he couldn't leave without giving away his location, so no flying.
He decided to look around the house a bit. The layout was a bit funky, though interesting. Lots of hiding spaces.
The front door lead directly to the living room, the couch facing the door. The hallway to all the bedrooms was to the left behind the couch, and the kitchen directly behind the couch. The kitchen and living room had a wall separating the two, though it was an open wall with a counter on it.
The hallway which was to the left behind the couch had three bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom and Hitoshi's room were to the right, the master bedroom directly at the end, and the second bedroom to the left was turned into an office room, with two computers, meaning they were for Present-Mic-Sama and Eraserhead-Sama.
He sighed, maybe he could draw or exercise something. Maybe go through the training movements. Keep it up so when Papa came back to him... He'd have not lost any progress since... He couldn't think about the news without tearing up.
He missed Papa.. Even though it's only been two days, it feels like it's been a year.